2013-06-13 — /travelprnews.com/ — European airports’ trade body ACI EUROPE yesterday held its Annual Assembly in Istanbul. At this assembly, Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, was elected to lead the organisation as President.
ACI EUROPE is based in Brussels and represents over 450 airports in 46 European countries, including Russia and Turkey. Member airports handle 90% of commercial air traffic in Europe, welcoming over 1.5 billion passengers each year.
Mr Feist said “I am honoured to take on this role. Recent years have shown that the challenges for our industry are plentiful and that we need strong representation with policy makers and regulators at European level. More than ever, decisions taken in Brussels affect your business – our business, and that trend is only set to continue.
My priority as president will be to defend the collective interests of all our members, regardless of their size or location. I will work in close collaboration with the administration of ACI Europe and will seek to obtain the active support from the Board of Directors and the members in defending our common interests.
Informing the EU institutions about the realities of the airport business is a never-ending task, especially in the coming period when the political programme of the European Commission is being prepared. But is also about changing some of the widely held misconceptions out there about the relationship between airports, airlines, air navigation service providers and ground handlers.”
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